This invention relates to software usage and procurement management.
To maintain the economic value in their products, software developers control usage of their software by customers in a variety of ways, both technological and legal. Off-the-shelf shrink-wrapped software, for example, typically is sold subject to a standard form license agreement that restricts copying. When the user installs the software he must enter a software key to confirm his right to proceed.
When software is downloaded from a server to a user's computer, similar legal and technological mechanisms are applied to control usage. In one example, the user requests a key from a central location. Operators at the central location manually verify the user's account and generate a key, which is sent to the user by phone or email.
For some kinds of software, the user is required to pay a periodic usage fee for the right to continue his usage.